Birth & early life
Born at Finedon, near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Given Census details, he was presumably the brother of
1438 George Glanister, 11th Hussars.
1841 Census
Finedon (Parish of St. Mary the Virgin).
Henry Glanister, 45, Gardener.
Sarah, 45.
Four children shown: William 15, Sarah 13, George 9, and James 6. All "Born in the County".
1851 Census
Back Street, Finedon, Parish of St. Mary the Virgin.
Sarah Glanister, 55, Head of household, with only James 16, Apprentice Shoe-maker, then living at home. Both born at Finedon.
Service
Transferred to the 11th Hussars on the 31st of October 1852, by Authority of the Adjutant-General's Office, dated the 25th of October 1852.
Sent to the Crimea from the Newbridge Depot on the 24th of July 1854.
Wounded in action at Balaclava and sent to Scutari on the 29th of October 1854.
In his Memoirs, Sergeant-Major George Loy Smith mentions "Pte Glanister having his lower jaw shattered by a shot through the right side."
1337 Robert Martin, 11th Hussars was quoted in a number of publications decribing how James Glanister was wounded:
"We were sitting on our horses when Captain Nolan came galloping up with the order for the Light Brigade to advance and retake the guns that had been captured from the Turks by the Russians.
We obeyed, the fire from the flank batteries on our right and left became most murderous, while the guns in front were belching forth deadly missiles and making complete streets through our ranks. Just then my right arm was shattered to pieces. I gathered it together as best as I could and laid it across my knee.
Glanister had unfortunately broken his sword off at the hilt by striking a Russian on the top of his helmet. The order to retire was then given by Lord George Paget, and on my turning I perceived a Cossack close to us. He immediately levelled his pistol and fired at Glanister and myself. The ball whizzed past my face and struck Glanister, shattering his underjaw and causing him to fall forward on his cloak, which was rolled up in front of him.
The Cossack bolted at once and I had the presence of mind to grasp the reins of my horse and putting them in my mouth — at the same time seizing those of Glanister's horse and turning it into the ranks. By this means his life was no doubt saved."
[Source: Diary of Nurse Sarah Anne: With Florence Nightingale at Scutari, edited by Robert Pritchard [PB: Pritchard? I can only find a version edited by Robert G. Richardson, John Murray, 1977.]
The fire was murderous. Ward, in front of me, was blown to pieces; Turner, on my left, had his right arm blown off. Just at that moment my right arm was shattered to pieces. I gathered it up as well as I could, and laid it across my knees. While fighting in the midst of the guns, Glanister unfortunately broke his sword off short at the hilt by striking a Russian on the top of his helmet. The order to retire was given by Lord George Paget, and on turning I perceived a Cossack near by us. He immediately levelled his pistol and fired at Glanister and myself.
The ball whizzed by my face and struck Glanister, shattering his bottom jaw, and causing him to fall forward on his cloak. The Cossack bolted at once, and I grasped the reins of my horse and placed them in my mouth, at the same time seizing those of Glanister's horse and turning it into the ranks. By this means, no doubt, his life was saved.
[Source: Anecdotes of Soldiers in Peace and War, J. H. Settle, Methuen & Co., London; 1905 (pp 237ff).]
When we were down at the guns, there was terrible confusion, all the different regiments being mixed up. I had gathered the remains of my arm up myself, but was perfectly helpless, as I was holding the bridle of my mount in my right hand.
I got my medal for distinguished conduct in this way:
A man named Glanister, [1337 James Glanister 11th Hussars] who is alive now in Liverpool, made a cut at a Russian with his sword. The weapon broke off close to the hilt, and the blade flew up in the air. He turned and looked at me and I looked at him, but we did not speak. Just then a Cossack rode up to our left, and drawing his pistol aimed at us. The bullet passed my face and caught Glanister in the jaw, carrying away the lower part of his face. He fell face downwards on his cloak in front of him. Lord George Paget then came up, and, holding up his sword, called out "Rally, men, get together as well as you can and retire."
I cannot tell how the desire came over me to assist Glanister. It all transpired in a moment. Putting the reins of my own horse in my mouth, I caught hold with my left hand of the reins of his horse, and turned it round to retire. Glanister was lying quite helpless, and his horse got into the ranks of his own regiment and brought him out. I didn't know that anybody saw the incident, but apparently it was noticed, and I got this distinguished conduct medal.
[Robert Martin, "Chat with a Light Brigade Hero", Cheshire Observer, 26 September 1896. A copy of the article is on Robert Martin's page, and a transcript is available here.]
Invalided from Scutari to England on the 13th of June 1855.
Life after service
The records of the Church of St. John the Baptist at Toxteth Park, Liverpool, show a James Glanister was married there on the 6th of May 1857. (There is a copy of this marriage certificate in the 11th Hussar file.)
Marriage registered
James Glanister to Anne Carson, June Quarter 1857, W. Derby.
Births registered
Henry Glanister, March Quarter 1860, W. Derby.
Elizabeth Glanister, September Quarter 1861, Liverpool.
Jessie Moon Glanister, March Quarter 1864, Liverpool.
James Glanister, March Quarter 1867, Liverpool.
David Glanister, March Quarter 1869, Liverpool.
1861 Census
No. 6 Court, Roscoe Street (off Mount Pleasant).
James Glanister, 26, Gatekeeper, born Finedon, Northamptonshire.
Ann, Wife, 29, born Hills [?], Scotland.
One child shown: Henry 2, born Liverpool.
1871 Census
24, Peach Street, Liverpool
James Glanister, 36, [no occupation given], born in Ireland [sic].
Ann, 39, born in Liverpool.
Five children shown: Henry 12, Elizabeth 10, Jessie 8, James 4, and David 2. All born in Liverpool and all (except David) "Scholars".
Apart from the claim that his birthplace was Ireland, other Census details suggest that this was indeed him and his family.
Death registered
James Glanister, aged 6 years, December Quarter 1874, Liverpool.
1881 Census
2 in 8, Bancroft, West Derby
James Glanister, 46, Groom, born Northamptonshire.
Ann, 49, born Scotland.
Three children are shown: Elizabeth 20, Jessie 17, David 12, all born Liverpool.
__________
42, Peach Street, Liverpool (St. Columba's parish).
Henry Glanister, 24, General Labourer.
1881 Census
42, Peach Street, Liverpool.
Henry Glanister (son), 24, Boarder, General Labourer, born Liverpool.
1891 Census
43, Lovat Street, West Derby, Liverpool.
James Glanister, 57, Army pensioner, born Finedon.
Ann, 59, born Scotland.
His daughters, Elizabeth and Jessie, were both married in Liverpool:
Elizabeth was married to George McLoughlin at St. Simon's C. of E. Church on the 6th of January 1882. The parents were shown as William McLoughlin, Shoe-maker, and James Glanister, Soldier.
Jessie was married on the 10th of July 1897 at St Catherine's Church, Liverpool, to Frederick Bristow. The parents were shown as John Brewster (Decd.), a Watchmaker, and James Glanister, a Labourer.
The witnesses at the first marriage were James and Jessie Glanister (evidently her brother and sister) and at the second, James and Ellen Glanister (presumably her brother and sister-in-law).
Death registered
Ann Glanister, 65, December Quarter 1898, West Derby [Liverpool].
Death & burial
St Catherine's House records show the death of a James Glanister in the West Derby District during the January-March quarter of 1901, aged 68 years.
He is believed to have died on the 24th of March 1901, and to have been buried on the 29th of March 1901. His funeral expenses were paid by the "Roberts" Fund (from which he also received a total of £71/8/6d. during his lifetime).
Extract from the Liverpool Echo, 24th of March 1901:
"Death of a Crimean Hero"
James Glanister, formerly of the 11th Hussars, and who was in the Charge at Balaclava, died at his residence, No. 3, Apple Terrace, Edge Hill, Liverpool, on Friday last (the 22nd). He was regularly invited to the Annual Dinners given at Manchester to the survivors, and he also went to London at the invitation of Mr. Roberts of Fleet Street, who, at the time of the Queen's Jubilee, invited all the survivors of the charge to view the procession from the windows of his London offices. The appearance of the veterans caused considerable enthusiasm amongst the vast crowds at the time."
Aged 68 at the time of his death, he was buried in West Derby Cemetery, Liverpool, on the 27th of March in Grave No. 193 C. of E. (Section 5.) No headstone was erected.
There is a photograph of his grave-site (right foreground) in the 11th Hussar file.
[CHECK DEATH & BURIAL DATES]
To follow up...
[PB, March 2017: Some time ago I accumulated quite a lot of information about theatrical performances involving a Glanister. But this was almost certainly George's brother James. I have just roughly cut and pasted them into James's page. Check and tidy up.
(Click on image to enlarge)
3 CHARGERS AT ROWLEY'S THEATRE OF VARIETIES — HUDDERSFIELD, 1891
[PB, December 2015]
(Click on image to enlarge)
Rowley's Theatre of Varieties. — The Balaclava Heroes. —
After being closed for several weeks the above place of amusement was re-opened on Monday evening with a company which, for variety and excellence, it would be hard to excel on any provincial music hall stage. Probably the chief feature in the programme is the introduction of three heroic survivors of the Light Brigade, immortalised in Tennyson's poem, in the persons of John McCausland (8th King's Own Royal Hussars, Corporal Wm. Pearson (4th Queen's Own Light Dragoons), and James Glinister [Glanister], V.C. (11th Prince Albert's Own Hussars).
Previous to their appearance a song, composed by Mr. J Rolmaz, the manager of the theatre, in praise of the Balaclava heroes and complaining of their ungrateful treatment by the country, was very fairly sung by Master Herbert Bray, and was enthusiastically applauded by the audience, who joined heartily in the following chorus:
He is only a pensioner ! an old man blind and lame;
He is only a pensioner, who won a hero's name;
He fought at Balaclava, and made the Russians fly,
But now, when he's old, he's left in the cold, to starve or to die.
The songs are sold at one penny each, for the benefit of the Balaclava hero fund.
When the three survivors of the charge were introduced by Mr. James Elmore (who gave a dramatic recital of the " Charge of the Light Brigade," during their occupancy of the stage), quite a demonstration followed, and the men, who were attired in the uniforms of their respective regiments, saluted in acknowledgment. They went through the sword exercise and drill in use at the time of the Crimean War with wonderful smartness, considering their age, and on being recalled they were revealed, at the rise of the curtain, in an effective military tableau. They were again enthusiastically encored, and coming to the front of the curtain once more saluted in true military style.
The company included two exceptionally smart and clever dancers in Kenealy and Conliu (their duel dance, in which, in the course of a series of dramatic statue-like postures, they show the beginning of the quarrel, the duel, and the reconciliation, being a very fine effort). Colonel Morgan (a clever ventriloquist who smokes whilst singing songs in different voices), Harry Morgan, and the Coleman Sisters (good character singers), McOllive and McKane (two smart acrobatic contortionists), and Chivers and Verne (whose clever feats on the roller skates are remarkably good), is one that should secure a visit from all those who are fond of a high-class music hall performance.
[Source: Huddersfield Chronicle, 29 August 1891, http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000167/18910829/046/0005 (accessed 5.12.15).]
